


Contentment

by lees



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, Late Night Snuggling, M/M, Mikasa Is Their Child, Sleepy Husbands Being Sleepy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-20 03:01:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7387939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lees/pseuds/lees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren wakes to the sound of crying, and the gentle tones of a lullaby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Contentment

**Author's Note:**

> Something relatively fluffy I wrote when feeling down.. Enjoy!

_His fingers carded through my hair, teasing out the messy strands before letting them spring back into place. A soft smile was on his face, the serene lyrics of a song I did not understand escaping his lips, lulling me into a sense of relaxed peace. His voice was quiet, barely conceivable, but I'd always loved it when he'd speak in his home language. It was the tongue he was most confident in, despite the reservedness with which he spoke it. It was as though he was revealing a part of himself to me that he was unwilling to share with others, a secret for us, and for us alone._

_Although I knew not a word of French, I instantly recognised the tune: it was the first thing I'd ever heard him sing, a gentle ballad that was soothing to the soul and heart. The words floated from his mouth, enchanting, ominous, calming my nerves. He hit every delicate note perfectly, and I could not help but become entranced by such a powerful voice. Later, I had come to learn that this was the same ballad his mother had sung to him on many occasions before her death, and I felt a sudden surge of passion for the man who had decided to open up and share with me this small piece of his past. Of the person beneath the stoic mask._

_I sighed softly, sinking further into the bedsheets, allowing myself to become lost in his voice. I never wanted to be found. His hand, small and cold, came to rest on my chest, just over my heart, and I knew that the steady beat reassured him. Reaching upwards, I placed my hand over his, smiling lazily. These were the moments I cherished most in our relationship. Our dominant personalities often clashed, but any dispute that occurred between us never lasted. He could be cold at times, and I could be annoying, yet we didn't let that get in the way. Nothing was perfect, and it was somehow better that way. But these were the moments I loved the most. When we could lie here, wrapped up in our own little world, too obsessed with one another to focus on the negativity in life. Here, we were at peace._

_Then the crying started._

I woke in a fit of surprise, shocked right out of my pleasant slumber by muffled whimpers and the shifting of sheets. No lights had been switched on, so my eyes had to adjust to the inky blackness of the room before I could make out Levi's figure at the end of the bed. If I strained my ears, I could still hear him singing the same ballad beneath his breath, and I knew that the lyrics had edged their way into my dream, too.

"Levi," I whispered tentatively, unsure of whether I was intruding on something. "Are you okay?"

The singing did not cease, but I saw him cautiously getting to his feet, walking over to me and raising his finger to his lips in a 'shushing' gesture. That's when I noticed Mikasa curled up in his arms. She'd obviously had a bad dream or something. I suddenly felt bad for not waking up straight away: Levi should be the one still sound asleep in bed, as he'd been working a lot lately in order to bring in the money for our small family. It was me who was supposed to remain at home, complete all the daily chores, and care for our daughter until Mikasa grew older. But now it seemed that I had failed.

He sung the final words of the song, the tune fading away into the darkness of the room as a long silence followed. Mikasa's quiet whimpers were replaced with slow, steady breaths, and I knew that Levi had succeeded in putting her back to sleep. He pointed towards our bedroom door, and I nodded, understanding what he was trying to silently portray. Listening to his faint footsteps pad across the landing, I watched him leave with the sleeping girl still bundled in his arms. Moments later, he returned, sighing when the door clicked shut behind him.

"I'm sorry I woke you," he finally said as he approached the bed, reaching to grab my outstretched hand.

I smiled up at him, although I didn't know if he could see it. "Don't worry, Levi. You really should get some sleep, though. You had a long day." I tried to tug him back into bed, but he resisted.

"I don't work on Saturdays," he pouted, and his childish tone made me laugh. "So I can sleep in tomorrow."

"Yeah, but you're tired now."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Is Mikasa okay?" I knew better than to push him. If Levi wanted to sleep, he'd sleep, tired or not. No matter how much I chided him.

"It was just a nightmare," he shrugged, sitting next to me on the mattress. He tangled the bedsheets in his hands. "The lullaby helped."

"You have a very soothing voice," I responded honestly. Even without the lights on, I saw his blush, and it made my heart flutter. "Will you sing to me now?"

"I don't know about that..."

"Why not? You're not shy, are you? You know how much I love your voice. There's no need for you to be anxious around me." My hand found his again, and I squeezed gently, rubbing patterns into his palm with my thumb. It seemed to soothe him.

"Lie on your side and face me," he said after a while, finally relenting. I did as he asked, and he pulled the covers down, positioning himself so that he was lying against my chest. His warmth was a comfort.

He began to sing again, this time a different tune, one that was just as eerie as the first. My hands went to snake around his waist, pulling him closer to my body, the lyrics fuelling my desire for his presence. After a life of hardship, he was just what I needed. The room was filled with his dulcet tones, slowly luring me into the blissful depths of sleep. I didn't want to leave him, though; I wished I could stay up with him, talk about his day, talk about Mikasa and how she could already write her own name, talk about Armin and how he was helping Annie to get back on her feet after that injury during her martial arts club, talk about Hanji and her new dog, Chikatilo, who had already destroyed her apartment while playing fetch. Tomorrow, Levi, Mikasa, and I would go out to the park. Mikasa would play on the swings and feed the ducks and we'd be watching her from our favourite spot on the grass, pointing out stupid things like bees on flowers and oddly shaped clouds in the sky.

I wanted to talk about all these things and more, but my vision was already clouding, and his voice was a gentle whisper at the back of my mind, there, always there, always just a breath away.

I hugged him close and succumbed to exhaustion once more.

 


End file.
